LUNCH AT RAYMONDAR AND OTHER MUSINGS

10/1
We left Santa Fe at about noon today, figuring it wouldn't be too long a day to Roswell, about 200 miles away. We hated to say goodbye to our friends next door, Tim, Ruthie and all of their little dogs. This couple had just sold their business, bought a SUPER motor home on consignment for a SUPER price, and this was their shakedown trip. They were loving it. Here, you see Ruthie ( hiding behind her pack). Mitzi Gaynor is right next to her while Gracie Allen does what she does best: bark. Then come Benny Goodman and last but not least, Wookie Goldberg!! When people rescue dogs, they don't seem to be able to stop at just one!!

Bottomless Lake was our destination, and it was there that we were meeting Doug. The trip was uneventful, except for our lunch stop at Ramondar, about an hour or so on our way.

Small but plenty of roadside allure and cowboy feng shui. For our entrees, we chose a sauteed Canadian bacon, mustard, and lettuce sandwich on whole grain bread with a side of aldente edamame. For dessert we split a mini chocolate bundt cake smothered in chocolate icing and chocolate chips, which they have sent in from Trader Joe's in Santa Fe. Perfect!!

   So what DO we eat on our trip, besides the famous Vale Da Serra lasagna, chips, nuts, wine, beer, and out-to eat? I guess we'd call it “camper food". Bill does most of the driving and all of the camper maintenance and setup, and I take care of the meals, dishes and cleaning. ( not much cleaning going on, I can tell you right now!) This division of labor works just fine for us!! Some nights we arrive and want to just fall into bed, and other times there's more time to do a proper meal. So we've had the ubiquitous hotdogs and beans; spaghetti with sausage/ beef; sauteed ground beef/turkey and veggies; buffalo burgers; hamburgers,sloppy joes over potatoes and onions, sauteed chicken with veggies and ginger over rice. I try to do things that will last for two meals, and all of it is done on the stove top or in the micro. Maybe the next trip I will get more ambitious and do things in the oven, like casseroles. We haven't eaten outside much-- it's been too cold, too mosquitoey, or just easier to do it inside. Breakfast is usually cereal, etc. and lunch can be tuna or chicken salad, tomato, lettuce and cheese sandwiches,or what's leftover in the fridge. Sometimes at night we have breakfast, like egg, onion and cheese wraps. We've had some great fresh veggies from Ruthie and Cliff in Miles City, and we miss their tomatoes like crazy.